Publication date: March 25th 2014
Genres: Adult, Romance

Today I'm delighted to welcome Diane Rinella , author of Scary Modsters… and Creepy Freaks, to my blog. As you read her post, you'll probably guess what attracted me to her book.

Why I Went Mod

By Diane Rinella

Since I announced the release of Scary Modsters I’ve been repeatedly asked, “Why did you make deceased rock star Peter Lane a mod? Why not go more modern?”

In the early 1960’s we had just gotten out of the bobby sox and saddle shoes phase and were looking to Jackie O for style tips. Fashions weren't exactly risky. When Peter's popularity started all of that was changing. Mary Quant, a fashion designer out of London, created revolutionary styles, color combinations, and high hemlines that have never left us. The mod look propelled fashion forward and signaled that the world was changing. It was sort of the shot heard around the world.

Working-class youth went out of their way to get the best possible fashion. There’s a misconception that the scooter-loving mods were rich kids while their rivals, the motorcycle-riding, rockers, didn't have money for fancy clothes. In talking to a lot of 60’s mods it seems that isn't true at all. The mods were just as working class as the rockers, but their priorities were different. They didn't believe in wearing something that they considered undesirable when they could to do better.

I have a few hang-ups with modern fashion. It seems like everywhere I go people are wearing clothes that are both so short and tight that their skin is popping out in an undesirable way or their clothes are so baggy that they are falling off. Now I know these are fashion statements, but they're not fashion statement that work for me. I have a hard time watching award shows. Some people are given great honors and they show up looking like getting out of bed was an inconvenience. It drives me crazy.

It seems that every twenty years we revisit an era. The poodle skirts and saddle shoes of the 1950’s came back in style in the late 1970’s when rockabilly hit. 1960’s fashions became popular again in the 1980’s, during the new wave revolution. In the 1990’s stores were flooded with bellbottoms and those big shirts that were all the rage in the 70’s. In the first decade of the current century we saw an 80’s, new wave resurgence. Now we are due for a 90’s resurgence, which puts us at grunge. The problem is that grunge had a very casual look that never went away. Also the 90’s weren't very interesting fashion wise. So where do we go from there? It seems only natural that we would look back to the revolution—the 1960’s. Have you seem those amazing, mod commercials for Rimmel? Everything old is new again.

Scary Modsters… and Creepy Freaks by Diane Rinella

A fantastical romance involving a girl, the music that fuels her, and her Ouija board.

Rosalyn possesses a sunny personality that is laced with quirks. Although she seeks acceptance in a world where she lives out of time, what she gets is ridiculed for her eclectic wardrobe and unconventional music collection.

One fateful night, Rosalyn bewitches Niles, a stylish man whose offbeat character perfectly complements her own. Unfortunately, he possesses a critical flaw that means relationship suicide for him and pretty much anyone.

While under the influence of insomnia-impaired judgment, Rosalyn summons Rock ‘n Roll deity Peter Lane back from the dead. Not only does he spin her hormones into a frenzy, Peter is also the precarious puzzle piece that brings sense into her world. When Niles learns that he can overcome his life-long challenge by helping Peter avenge his death, how far will he go to secure Rosalyn’s heart?

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About The Author

Enjoying San Francisco as a backdrop, the ghosts in Diane’s 150-year old Victorian home augment the chorus in her head. With insomnia as their catalyst, these voices have become multifarious characters that haunt her well into the sun’s crowning hours, refusing to let go until they have manipulated her into succumbing to their whims. Her experiences as an actress, business owner, artisan cake designer, software project manager, Internet radio disc jockey, vintage rock n’ roll journalist/fangirl, and lover of dark and quirky personalities influence her idiosyncratic writing.

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